It still feels strange to say the words, ‘the late Kyle Busch’. Just a week ago, he was hale and hearty, fresh off a Truck Series win at Dover and preparing for the Coca-Cola 600. Then suddenly, we hear that he has passed away due to complications with pneumonia, which worsened into sepsis. Now, all that we are left with are memories of the 2-time champion and winningest driver in NASCAR history. After the Coca-Cola 600, race winner Daniel Suarez shared some memories of Busch.

Daniel Suarez reveals how much Kyle Busch meant to him

As it turns out, Suarez and Busch have a special connection. The Mexican driver was one of many current stars who drove for Busch in his Truck Series team, Kyle Busch Motorsports, back in the day. The list also includes Erik Jones, Christopher Bell, John Hunter Nemechek, William Byron, and Denny Hamlin. There were also others like Harrison Burton, Noah Gragson, Riley Herbst, Todd Gilliland, the late Greg Biffle, and even Kimi Raikkonen.

Suarez said in the press conference, “Where I came from in Mexico, we were very family-oriented people. My mom, my sister are back there. This is the only race where I actually have my family with me. One of the reasons why this is my favorite weekends of the year, because I always get to have my family for the week. Kyle, he wasn’t my family. But he was someone that gave me a hand when I needed it most. And it wasn’t just a hand. It was a hand of a legend, it was a hand of somebody with so much experience. So for that, I will be forever grateful. Forever grateful.”

Now, it is no secret that in his prime, Kyle Busch ruffled a lot of feathers and had many rivalries. However, it is safe to say that Daniel Suarez wasn’t one of them and always got along well with him. What’s interesting is that the Mexican driver once bailed Busch out of a tight spot with the law in Cancun.

“One time he got in trouble in Cancun, he called me, Samantha called me,” Suarez recalled. “I mean, some of you guys know what happened there. And then after the race in Mexico City, we partied together, he came to my party.”

The incident in question is likely the one from February 2023, where Busch was arrested and detained at the Cancun Airport in Mexico after a handgun was found in his bag. He was returning from vacation with his wife, Samantha. He was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison with an $1,100 fine.

After the situation was resolved, Busch released a statement that read, “In late January, Samantha and I enjoyed a several day vacation in Mexico. When departing the country, my handgun was flagged during routine screening at the airport. I have a valid concealed carry permit from my local authority and adhere to all handgun laws, but I made a mistake by forgetting it was in my bag… When it was discovered, I fully cooperated with the authorities, accepted the penalties, and returned to North Carolina.”

Then, last year, when Mexico made its NASCAR debut, the two drivers partied together after the race.

Suarez has made it his mission to help fans understand who Kyle Busch really was, underneath his Rowdy persona. According to him, fans knew of Kyle Busch the racer and NASCAR’s long-time heel, but not the person he was off the track. Daniel Suarez stressed the late driver being a family man. Apparently, whenever people talked to him about his son Brexton, Kyle Busch’s eyes would light up.

What happened to Kyle Busch Motorsports?

The team was first established in 2010 and primarily ran in the Truck Series. However, it also had trysts in the O’Reilly Series, the ARCA Series, and the ARCA Series East and West. From 2010 to 2022, the organisation has competed in 322 Truck Series races out of 418 entries across all levels. During that tenure, Kyle Busch Motorsports also racked up two Truck titles in 2015 and 2017, courtesy of Erik Jones and Christopher Bell. In addition to that, Sammy Smith won the 2022 ARCA Series championship with KBM.

Sadly, the team was soon forced to shut shop at the end of the 2023 season. Since then, Spire Motorsports purchased the team’s assets and incorporated them into their organisation.

Kyle Busch Motorsports still exists, but it downsized and began operating as a dirt racing team for Busch and his son Brexton. However, with Kyle Busch’s tragic death, the organisation’s ownership is in limbo, and the future is uncertain.